Nazzy’s Sweet 19

Earlier in the season, I wrote this post about the media and how they treated Naslund. I was frustrated and can’t stand the way Iain MacIntyre would go on about him even after he’d left. I called THEN for the retirement of his number back when people were still going on about how he didn’t deserve a thing and the bandwagon thought it was fine to continue chewing him up and spitting him out.

Naslund did on this team what no one else had done, and what no one else has replicated yet. There’s a reason he:

• He played 13 seasons in Vancouver
• Most Points by a Canuck (756)
• Most Goals by a Canuck (346)
• 3rd most assists (410 – 1st Linden 415, 2nd Smyl 411)
• Most hattricks by a Canuck (10)
• Holds all records for Left Wingers (Most Goals, Assists, Points)

In my (very humble) opinion, I think the media was the result of what I see as a shortened career. On a team where there were a number of faults, the blame was placed on him for the lack of success, and really there was an issue with the team and a number of gaps that needed filling. When you look at the numbers, Naslund’s 19 should be up there alongside Smyl’s 12 and Linden’s 16. (but please, don’t go renaming the gate’s at GM Place and making errors on the plaques.)

If the Montreal Canadiens can put aside their differences and retire Patrick Roy’s number, then the Canucks should have no problem doing the same for Naslund. Here’s a player that played his best year’s for the Canucks and put up numbers that won’t be touched for some time. People need to look at the player he was when he was with us, and not the negative image of him that the media created and portrayed so vividly.

There are fair arguments for both sides of this, however I lean more towards putting 19 up in the rafters. The numbers speak for themselves.

I do agree with Justin’s comment about Nazzy looking like he didn’t want to be here – but what Justin also forgot to consider is that it was really in his last couple seasons here that the more solemn Nazzy appeared.

For whatever reason that Naslund’s production went down – no one will ever really know. Maybe Naslund doesn’t even know. I don’t think anyone would be stoked to be in that position.

All the talk about how he didn’t celebrate goals . . . it all seems kind of petty to me. People change. People mature. Not everyone feels the need to pull an Ovechkin every time they score.

Give the guy a break. Even if he doesn’t deserve getting 19 retired, he does deserve our respect for the numbers he posted. To the naysayers . . . live and let live.

There are fair arguments for both sides of this, however I lean more towards putting 19 up in the rafters. The numbers speak for themselves.

I do agree with Justin’s comment about Nazzy looking like he didn’t want to be here – but what Justin also forgot to consider is that it was really in his last couple seasons here that the more solemn Nazzy appeared.

For whatever reason that Naslund’s production went down – no one will ever really know. Maybe Naslund doesn’t even know. I don’t think anyone would be stoked to be in that position.

All the talk about how he didn’t celebrate goals . . . it all seems kind of petty to me. People change. People mature. Not everyone feels the need to pull an Ovechkin every time they score.

Give the guy a break. Even if he doesn’t deserve getting 19 retired, he does deserve our respect for the numbers he posted. To the naysayers . . . live and let live.

Naslund was a player that thrived in the old NHL. He needed a big body in front and after Bertuzzi left he never had that replaced.

There’s a direct correlation between Bertuzzi leaving and his decline. As I said in my earlier blog, he deserves all the naysayers to just move on, and if nothing else, he deserves respect from this organization and it’s fans.

I think he’s earned a spot in the rafters, but ultimately that comes down to management. If anything, I think it is something that might take a couple of years anyway. It won’t be as immediate as Linden.

Naslund was a player that thrived in the old NHL. He needed a big body in front and after Bertuzzi left he never had that replaced.

There’s a direct correlation between Bertuzzi leaving and his decline. As I said in my earlier blog, he deserves all the naysayers to just move on, and if nothing else, he deserves respect from this organization and it’s fans.

I think he’s earned a spot in the rafters, but ultimately that comes down to management. If anything, I think it is something that might take a couple of years anyway. It won’t be as immediate as Linden.

I wish he would have retired as a canuck, but as JJ has pointed out the media and some fans kind of ran him out of town. He will always be one of my favorite Canucks of all time. Maybe just Bure ahead of him. He gave me some great memories and helped to bring our team back to respectability in the early 2000’s. Sure he didn’t have the playoff success we all desperately wanted, but was it all his fault? Not all of it. I hope his number 19 joins 12, 16 and hopefully 10 in the rafters one day.

I wish he would have retired as a canuck, but as JJ has pointed out the media and some fans kind of ran him out of town. He will always be one of my favorite Canucks of all time. Maybe just Bure ahead of him. He gave me some great memories and helped to bring our team back to respectability in the early 2000’s. Sure he didn’t have the playoff success we all desperately wanted, but was it all his fault? Not all of it. I hope his number 19 joins 12, 16 and hopefully 10 in the rafters one day.

Some of you should be ashamed. I moved from Vancouver just under 5 years ago so I wasn’t aware of a media/fan backlash is regards to Naslund.

All I know that Naslund was a great Captain and in some rights carried the whole team and the city on his shoulders. We may not have made it to the Finals but that shouldn’t keep his number from being retired. Linden made it there once and you cannot say he was the reason or the most valuable player during that time. Naslund posted some great numbers and LEAD this team. He did it with integrity too.

He deserves to be up there with Linden, it takes a whole team to win the cup, not just one man, and who knows, maybe if Bertuzzi didn’t make one huge judgment error this wouldn’t even be a topic to discussed.

I think it’s shameful for fans or the media to take anything away from Naslunds accomplishments while with the Canucks. He gave us all great memories, and for a time was one of the best players in the league and one of the most feared scorers. He deserves to be acknowledged for that. He is a main reason the Canucks are as good and as deep as they are today, he took on a majority of the work load and scrutiny for few years while the Sedins and other youngsters were given time to develop.

19 should be retired and Naslund should get his night at GM place and should be applauded for what he did for the Canucks.

Some of you should be ashamed. I moved from Vancouver just under 5 years ago so I wasn’t aware of a media/fan backlash is regards to Naslund.

All I know that Naslund was a great Captain and in some rights carried the whole team and the city on his shoulders. We may not have made it to the Finals but that shouldn’t keep his number from being retired. Linden made it there once and you cannot say he was the reason or the most valuable player during that time. Naslund posted some great numbers and LEAD this team. He did it with integrity too.

He deserves to be up there with Linden, it takes a whole team to win the cup, not just one man, and who knows, maybe if Bertuzzi didn’t make one huge judgment error this wouldn’t even be a topic to discussed.

I think it’s shameful for fans or the media to take anything away from Naslunds accomplishments while with the Canucks. He gave us all great memories, and for a time was one of the best players in the league and one of the most feared scorers. He deserves to be acknowledged for that. He is a main reason the Canucks are as good and as deep as they are today, he took on a majority of the work load and scrutiny for few years while the Sedins and other youngsters were given time to develop.

19 should be retired and Naslund should get his night at GM place and should be applauded for what he did for the Canucks.

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